Grain-leather.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

MENDEL PIANKO, OF WOQDHAVEBLYNEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SARAH PIANKO, OFWOODHAVEN, NEW YORK.

GRAIN-LEATHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,476, dated November12, 1901.

Application filed May 20, 1901. Serial No. 61,066. (No specimens.)

T0 (ZZZ whom it ntcty concern.-

Be it known that I, MENDEL PIANKO, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woodhaven, in the county of Queens and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Leathers; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to grain-leathers, its object being theproductionof a natural-grain leather from such parts of the hide as haveheretofore been of little or no value where a grain-leather of body orstrength was desired.

As is well known to the trade, the hide for the greatest economy andutility is usually separated or split into three or more parts, thefirst split, known as buffing, being of the full natural grain of theleather, but very thin and without body or strength, serving only as acovering for light articles, such as pocket-books, card-cases, or thelike. The second or grain split is of serviceable body or strength, butits surface is of imperfect grain and somewhat rough, the grain of thissplit being artificially made or strengthened, producing the heavygrain-leather used in the trade, thus rendering this split as far as atpresent known the most valuable of the hide. The third or fiesh split isworthless in cases where a grain-leather is desired, for while itpossesses all that may be desired in body and strength its surface isvery rough, without grain, and of so little compactness as to preventthe successful production of an artificial grain. This split hastherefore been used heretofore simply as a leather body for use in caseswhere finish is not desired, such as shoe-soles or the like, and is ofno value as a grain-leather.

My invention consists in combining the buffing or first split, which, asbefore stated,

is of full natural grain, but without body or- .adds to the effect ofthe cement in such degree that after drying the parts cannot beseparated at the junction, even though they have been thoroughly soakedin Water.

The product of my invention is of the greatest value to the trade,producing a leather of great body and strength and of full naturalgrain, and can in no case be called an artificial leather, while thearticle known to the trade at present as grain-leather is in the main anartificially-grained product, requiring particular methods of treatmentand coloring beforethesuccessful commercial leather results.

In my invention the bufiing or thin split may be readily colored andtreated, if desired, before being cemented to the flesh split, therebysaving the material and time incident to a similar treatment of thecompleted article. Furthermore, by my invention a thin split from anyleathersuch, for instance, as a cowhide-may be cemented to the fleshsplit of a more valuable hide such, for instance, as a monkey-skiu-andafter graining or boarding, as known to the trade, the original grain ofthe valuable leather rises through the thin split, producing anoriginal-grain leather.

It is well known that the grain of leather will become worn or rubbed0d, detracting from the appearance of the article which it covers, andthat in the use of some leathers, such as monkey-skin, the grain is muchsofter than that, for'example, of a cowskin, and hence an articlecovered with monkey-skin will lose its grained appearance much soonerthan an article covered with cowskin subject to the same wear. Thereforein the production of a natural-grain monkey-skin leather with a surfacethin split of cowhide, as before described, I am enabled to produce anatural-grain monkeyskin leather capable of much greater wear and usewithout losing its grained appearance than the original monkey-skinleather.

Having thus described my invention, what of a hide secured to the grainside of a hide, to I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters thegrain being disclosed through the split.

Patent, is In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1. As an article ofmanufacture, an origiin presence of two witnesses. 5 nalrain leathercomposed of the bufiin split of a hide secured to the flesh split of ZMENDEL PIANKO' hide. Witnesses:

2. As an article of manufacture, an origi- DAVID W. GOULD,

nal-grain leather composed of a buifing split JOS. H. BLACKWOOD.

